I have recently left my professional work , of about 15 years, as a court-certified mediator, working primarily with family-oriented cases. I have also worked in social research, a health-related field, and as an administrator. NewsTrust appealed to me because i have been disappointed in how the media and journalists seemed for quite some time to be barely skimming the surface of events in our nation and around the world. in today's interconnected world, both physical, political and cultural, more than ever it is vital that all citizens have the most factual, in-depth news on all that connects us both within and beyond our borders. My interest in and curiosity about news and information is quite eclectic and broad-based, both in geography and type.
i'd like to have seen the comparison satellite photos here, so that i could see the differences for myself, and, as well, have nasa's thoughts on these. also i wish more knowledgeable people were used to comment on the economic conflict of fossil fuel providers.
this article, along with one linked to it in the daily mail, illustrates the complexity of how science works, and the difficulty those of us have, who are not scientists but would like to see ourselves as able as they, to interpret the data. each of these stories has incomplete data being used to convey the writer's point of view. as in most science, climate change data relies upon both observation and mathematical models and more observation, and so on..., to determine, until some other established data is complete enough, what appears to be the reality. clearly the factors discussed in these articles are all real factors, but without the scientific knowledge to interpret them, we leave it to the bulk of the scientists ... More »
mr. krugman offers a reasonable information as explanation for his conclusions about how damaging austerity is in a recession. he also points out that there are "caveats and complications" to this thesis.and he praises the president for not embracing austerity while state governments are.
we are still in real danger economically from those running for president who have so much money for using media to spread the same dangerous proposals, very rarely countered as mr. krugman does, in most of the media coverage.
media matters did a thorough review of coverage of this topic and with graphs and facts and figures, show the lack of independent thinking on the part of the american media outlets on this issue.
as we see here again, the teeth of the media outlets are decayed almost completely in their ability to give the public anything other than what the person they talk about self-reports. there is no watchdog aspect working for most of what the public hears on any mainstream media outlet, and that seems to be the case for news, interviews, debates, and even for so-called fact-checking. how can democratic processes survive?
this story reports factual information about the arab league's stated plans as well as what they've been doing, and adds sources outside of the league or the syrian government commenting with their own perceptions of the league's plans' credibility.
it would seem that the arab league could have the best chance to work within and around syria to at a minimum reduce the violence which could give opportunities for both the government and those in opposition to make possible a better outcome than is currently available.
how amazing that so many do not see the contradiction of belittling the poor who do not make enough money to pay income taxes, even with jobs (it's only a small percentage without) and see that as contribution to our debts, etc, . yet those who are yelling about this would create a larger group of people making that contribution by making sure there are fewer jobs in this country (as corporations will go to places where people make amounts that would never contribute to taxes, and ... More »
the story provides an illustration of how organizations which in the past which were not purveyors of public news, in today's new lightning-fast spread of information to so many across the world, can so amplify a mistake, or a wrong assumption, or even deliberate falsehoods. it's heartening in this story to hear how the managing editor took all responsibility for this mistake
we need to realize that this places more responsibility on the larger more experienced, professional news purveyors to check, and check again
mr. fineman as usual offers important insights about changes in our national culture. the audience isn't an audience any more it seems, it's a mob. and it's bolstered by being on national tv supported by the most conservative groups networks want to put on. i wonder if most of the people spoken to individually would be heard as so irresponsible, creating the question, ' are the networks setting up provocation and solidifying the hard lines?.
this is a fascinating article which explains to some degree but not enough the disagreement within lebanon on changing the electoral rules. a number of reasons on each point of view are presented; i would have liked to read some examples of how each idea would play out to better understand the potential differences for the decision making in real issues which come up within the country..
with a lot of positive figures here the article presents hope for the future year in jobs and gdp, although unfortunately nothing is mentioned here re the stimulus for the auto industry which many republican politicians have decried. other figures which i find positive for the future are those of the sales of smaller cars.
this seems to be a good representation of the candidate's overall reliability of statements based upon facts. at least it meshes with my own perception of the (not following too closely) candidates campaign rhetoric. and it includes the perceptions i had of john huntsman whom a number of non-conservatives have thought to be relatively harmless. factual or not, this doesn't represent policies which the candidates espouse based upon fact or not; however lying and distorting say a lot about character and /or intelligence.
while this story is about a particular neighborhood near jerusalem, it does seem as if the theme applies, as one reviewer notes, not only to judaism, but also to islam, and to christianity in an increased fanaticism or extreme reactions to non-believers, or those who beliefs ... More »
the writer points out with perceptive examples, the differences between the abstract word, 'freedom' , and its abuse of using it from only a particular vague point of view, having little to do with its opposite of bondage or slavery or immurement. common today it's use is to promote both freedom from normal social constraints and from exploitation. i think it would be clearer to more readers if he had used the abstraction of 'two concepts of liberty' less and concrete examples more.
i was aware of this from seeing the movie, but this retelling with some specific details still effect me. tactics of war have changed so much since then it's difficult even to imagine any type of similar response today, except perhaps in those cases of using troops for 'rebuilding nations' , which wouldn't include 'the enemy' soldiers.
this piece offers quite a bit of info. what's missing is some information from the industries about their projected costs they claim will occur and which will of course, raise rates for consumers. it's important here for the public to know that this administration is willing to go forward with something this vital.
the main thrust of ms wellington's article is the neglect of the named WV newspaper in passing over publishing an in-depth article on one who gave a lifetime of gifts to many students as the first african-american principal of the region, while publishing more in-depth articles on local individuals whose contributions were negative. implied but not explicit here is a question of potential lost for influencing the renaming of her school after her which recently failed.
the broader significance here is in the respect and value any community owes to its figures who greatly influenced their surrounding but were not famous in a larger context. at a time when money buys naming rights of so much, it's good to consider how this works.
the article points out the major public statements about mr. hitchens over the years, and in the process does convey how vital his very intellectual voice has been--without regard to how often one agreed or disagreed with it.
the writer uses his own life experience to illustrate only one reason why mr gingrich's attitude is wrong. he doesn't dwell on how it is not only insulting but in its lack of empathy for so many millions is so very harmful to our democracy.
my life's experience confirms the writer's descriptions of those in poverty in the u.s.. it is difficult and disheartening for me to understand how anyone who thinks of becoming the president of this country can be electable using such heinous tactics as throwing millions of its citizens under the bus of political greed, yet i know it's very possible..
This is excellent journalism because it brings to the forefront the significance of London's financial center,"The City", and shows how its interests will inevitably clash with those of continental Europe. David Cameron is revealed as the prime broker of The City's agenda while the "gushing accolades of the British press" pander to anti-Continental propaganda and the British public suffers from a recession that is "the worst in decades".
The significance of "The City" was outlined in Nicolas Shaxon's book, Treasure Islands which I was prompted to read after his interview with Amy Goodman(posted by Dwight back in April). The book is short but lucidly written, chock full of interesting details on overseas squirreling of profits. I have reposted the link to the interview which is still very relevent and should clarify some things that this article didn't cover about" The City's" significance in international finance chicanery.
There is a good deal of truth in the old cliches about the gap between the Anglo-Saxon mentality and the Continental mentality. At the same time, something has shifted ... More »
thanks to bob H for including the link which explains much about this article. and is frightening.
the article here is composed of excerpts from a new pulibcation of the same title. it lays out the author's pathway from the nixon era to modern day of the supreme court's decisions for corporate power.
this is a view worth looking at. it illustrates how far the changes in law which happened over the last few decades have changed the country from that one upon which the constitution was based, and so brings up vital questions about who and what we are as a republic
i wish the story had been in greater depth to include details of the proposed legislation and of the likely impact and possible consequences. this is too much of a short cut; although it does offer the bare bones of an event, the article implies that just the words, 'murdoch' and' restrict' are enough .
i am disappointed in the lack of focus by this nyt article which includes very few quotes, and short ones at that, from a long speech by the president which laid out in summary the steps to our current economic situation and the importance of this moment for changing that status.
is this award from a news outlet based upon its impact on a news cycle, or is it based on its criteria for merit?
the facts and sources presented in this story confirm the beliefs of the view of a number of economists that austerity for the middle class and poorer citizens does not fix the economic problems which were created by the systems which catered to and still do those who control the money of investments and debt. that view, nevertheless doesn't prevail in most countries, where governments listen to those same systems to 'fix' those problems
ms wellington's piece describes what has occurred in the wva massie mining disaster since then. she summarizes that event and what happened after: the ceo, don blankenship, responsible for the conditions which led to that event sold the company, and it was the new company, under new leadership, with whom, in the recent court case the gov't made a non-prosecution agreement. her reasonable question, "...'.massey is not a person and can't go to jail '. but what about don blankenship" implies many vital questions which remain about industry's profits vs. safety in our u.s. policies.
without facts and figures on how much and how prevalent this practice actually is, the piece doesn't really make the argument for the gov't. the response from corporate america would seem ironic if it weren't so real. what i question by this writer is his comment, "the move to restrict lobbyist gift-giving comes amid a separate push by the administration to trim costs.", which sounds as if it came directly from a lobby group, and which implies that lobbyists are vital to gov't employees ability to function in their work if they aren't given ever more cellphones and laptops, along with 'promotional gear'.
This article, while insightful, is a little light on the "why's." Specifically, the culpability of top-tier journalists, the men and women who are in direct contact with newsmakers. It's quite possible that these reporters have traded their doggedness for either access, celebrity, or both. To confront politicians with a lie could result in banishment from the clubby cliques of power. Some of the most interesting interview moments are the outtakes one rarely sees, where the ... More »
i believe this is a perceptive comment, and question about why a journalist, writing about the political scene with which she or he is very familiar, would not immediately realize a distortion and probe deeper, either in a questioning of the politician, or in her/his written piece. ... More »
the story appears factual and offers both the u.s. military and the pakistani gov't's points of view, which appear to be diametrically opposing. and with no means for those of the two countries involved to discover what actually occurred. what i like is mr greenwald's analysis on this which confirms that there are no easy means to analyze events in the 'fog of war', and the type of wars in which we have been engaged for years now are probably more muddied, muddled and difficult to clarify than even previous wars.
since war IS hell, what mitigates the horror, a little, in this time in history, is that, in earlier wars, thousands died in given assaults, and in modern fighting, usually there are far, far fewer. this does not lessen pain or suffering, yet it indicate a difference for the future of conflict.
this is all theorhetical opinion and if a reader tends to see mr. friedman as perceptive then this will seem so also. he doesn't include any new, real information to back this up, but it feels like a reasonable leap, and also something like pres. obama has behaved in other times, so this has some validity there as well. he gives the pres. credit as due, and lays out barriers that would be overcome following this idea..
this is my note combining a response to both articles, not only this one.